Robert knew time was running out.
If he was going to stand any chance against his father — against the Viltrumites — he needed to act.
Not just train harder or save more people, but eliminate threats before they escalated. He thought of the future. He thought of Earth's odds.
And he thought of D.A. Sinclair.
The man was brilliant… and dangerous. His experiments — turning the dead into twisted cybernetic soldiers — were a line that should've never been crossed. In the wrong hands, Sinclair's work could spell doom.
Robert tracked the man to his underground lab beneath the university, concealed behind reinforced steel and riddled with arcane tech. It took finesse, stealth, and then brute force when the alarms went off.
The ReAnimen came fast.
Grotesque, part-flesh, part-machine, soulless and relentless. Robert fought through them — gold flaring through dark corridors, fists cracking metal and bone alike. He didn't hold back, but he didn't kill. He tore apart limbs, disabled joints, and buried them in collapsed debris.
Sinclair tried to escape, but Robert caught him by the collar.
"I've read your files. I know what you did to those kids," Robert said, eyes glowing faintly.
"You're done, Sinclair."
The man sputtered, half-panicked, half-in awe.
"Do you have any idea what I've achieved? I've created immortality. Soldiers that feel no pain—"
"No soul either," Robert snapped.
"You're not saving lives. You're stealing them."
Within minutes, the GDA arrived, summoned by Robert ahead of time. Cecil himself watched as Sinclair was taken away, bruised and furious, but alive.
Cecil looked at Robert through the monitor.
"That was… efficient. You're starting to think like someone who knows what's coming."
Robert folded his arms. "I'm thinking like someone who's preparing for a war."
Cecil just smirked.
"He'll be useful… under supervision. You did good, Sentry."
Robert didn't reply.
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Two streaks cut across the sky — one gleaming gold, the other deep crimson — soaring silently above the clouds. They came to a gradual stop above the endless, sun-scorched dunes of the Sahara Desert, the heat rising in shimmering waves below.
Robert hovered with practiced ease, the Sentry emblem gleaming faintly in the light. Across from him floated Nolan — Omni-Man — arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
"What's going on, son?" Nolan asked, his voice calm but laced with concern.
"You've been distant. I figured some time away, just us, might help clear your head."
Robert remained silent at first, his gaze fixed on the horizon. He felt the weight of this moment like a leaden hand on his chest. The desert felt like the right place — empty, quiet, away from ears that didn't need to hear what was about to be said.
He knew the truth. Knew what Nolan was. What he was meant to do.
And worse, he knew he couldn't stop it — not yet. He was only a fraction of what he might one day become. Right now, he'd be dust in the wind if they truly fought.
But he couldn't stay silent either.
He turned to Nolan slowly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Dad… I know the truth."
Nolan's eyes narrowed, just slightly. "Truth?"
Robert's chest rose with a heavy breath. "Viltrum. The real mission. What you're planning... what you're going to do."
For a flicker of a moment, Nolan's face shifted. A crease in his brow. A subtle twitch in his jaw.
But then, it was gone — replaced by a neutral expression.
"I see."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Robert clenched his fists but kept his tone calm. "I know I can't stop you. Not yet. Maybe not ever."
He looked up at his father, eyes full of a quiet fire.
"But if I can save anyone… anyone who would've died because I did nothing — the Guardians, civilians, Marie — then I will."
Nolan floated forward just a little, watching him with an unreadable expression.
"I never wanted this to be a fight between us," Nolan said.
"I saw something in you, back when I found you. Something… different. That's why I brought you into our family."
Robert looked away for a second, his throat tightening.
"Then don't make me your enemy, Dad."
The two hovered in silence again, the golden sands stretching endlessly around them. Father and son — caught between blood, duty, and destiny.
Nolan floated closer, his eyes fixed on the boy he had raised — the boy who was never truly his, and yet, was.
"You don't understand, Robert," he said, his voice deepening, more firm.
"The Viltrum Empire… it isn't just about conquest. It's about order. Evolution. Survival."
He gestured out toward the desert.
"Look at this world. Warring nations. Greed. Disease. Corruption at every level. Humanity is fragile. Flawed. Given enough time, they'll destroy themselves."
Robert didn't flinch, but his voice was steady, defiant.
"You say that like it makes what you're doing right. Like they're too broken to save, so you'd rather control them."
"I'm giving them a future."
"No… you're stealing their chance to earn one."
Nolan's brow furrowed.
"You think they're strong? That they'll rise above their nature? You hope they'll change, but hope is naive, Robert."
Robert's voice dropped, calm but unwavering.
"And yet, every day I help someone. A person who wants to jump finds a reason to live. A kid sees someone fly in and stop a crime, and they start believing in heroes again. That's strength — not power. Will. Humanity is stronger than you think."
There was a beat of silence.
Nolan sighed, a long, tired breath. "You really are Debbie's son…"
He looked away, something almost like regret flashing in his eyes — and then it vanished.
"But I have a duty. I have to finish what I started."
Robert's heart clenched. "I know."
In a blur of red and fury, Nolan moved.
Robert barely raised his arms before a shockwave slammed him back, sand exploding around his impact. The air trembled from Nolan's blow.
Robert stood, brushing sand off his scorched suit, his golden aura flaring.
He didn't want this. But if stopping Nolan meant protecting people — protecting Marie, Debbie, Earth — then he would fight.
No matter what.
"Then come on, Dad," Robert muttered under his breath, his eyes steeling.
"Let's see if hope can stand against duty."
And the sky above the Sahara lit with gold and red as father and son clashed.
Golden light met crimson fury in the skies above the Sahara, their blows sending shockwaves that cracked the dunes and scattered desert winds like glass shattering in slow motion. Every punch, every collision of strength echoed like thunder across the silent sand.
Robert gritted his teeth, bracing against the overwhelming force of his adoptive father's strikes. He was faster. Stronger. Better trained. But Robert had something else — purpose.
"You don't understand, son!" Nolan shouted, eyes burning with frustration as he grabbed Robert by the throat and hurled him into a dune, sand erupting in a massive plume.
"The Viltrum Empire cannot be stopped. This world—these people—they're weak! They tear each other apart over scraps and lies. They need order. They need us."
Robert slowly stood, wiping blood from his mouth, golden energy rippling around his frame.
"You say they're weak… but I've seen them fight for each other. For strangers. For hope. You call it chaos. I call it choice."
Nolan snarled, eyes narrowing.
"Choice? You think choice matters when the universe is filled with empires waiting to devour everything? Earth can be saved! We give them unity, strength, advancement beyond their comprehension!"
"You mean conquered," Robert fired back, flying toward the sky and baiting Nolan upward.
"You're not saving them. You're enslaving them."
They clashed again midair — a brilliant golden flare against Nolan's red streak. The ground trembled beneath their storm.
Robert didn't need to win. He just needed to stall.
He flew higher, through the clouds, forcing Nolan to pursue. Nolan didn't notice the direction — didn't realize the path Robert was leading him on.
Until it was too late.
They broke through the cloud cover over the Guardians of the Globe's base.
And there they were — assembled and waiting, alerted by Robert's signal: Immortal, War Woman, Darkwing, Green Ghost, and the others, standing their ground.
Nolan's flight slowed, eyes widening. "You led me here?"
Robert hovered in front of the Guardians, bruised but unshaken.
"I'm not strong enough to beat you, Dad… but I'm not alone."
Nolan's face contorted in fury and disbelief.
"You think they can stop me?! You think anyone can stop what's coming?! I am a Viltrumite! You have no idea what we've conquered — what I've done for this planet by delaying!"
Robert looked him in the eye, heart heavy.
"Then maybe it's time Earth stopped you."
The Guardians didn't hesitate. The moment Nolan's voice thundered with contempt for Earth, they struck as one.
War Woman's mace slammed into Nolan's side, staggering him. Immortal followed up with a crushing blow, sending the Viltrumite skidding across the sand.
Martian Man and Green Ghost moved in to restrain him with energy fields and raw power. Robert was there too, golden aura crackling as he reinforced the effort—not to defeat Nolan, but to delay him long enough.
"You don't understand!" Nolan bellowed, fury in his eyes.
"You're condemning this world to ruin! The Viltrum Empire cannot be stopped!"
"We won't be conquered," Robert shouted, standing tall despite the bruises on his body.
"Not while I'm still breathing."
Nolan tried to rise again, snarling, but War woman and Immortal drove him back down. Green Ghosts phase through him to disorient Omni-man and War woman smack his mace knocking out.
He finally slumped, overwhelmed.
And just as the dust began to settle, a shimmering blue portal sparked to life nearby, slicing open the air with precision.
Cecil stepped through, arms folded, a tired scowl on his face. The portal closed behind him as his eyes scanned the scene—Nolan bound, exhausted, surrounded by heroes. The ReAnimen emerged from a secondary portal moments later, standing ready behind him.
"Hell of a mess," Cecil muttered.
"Didn't expect you to call in the cavalry this early, kid."
Robert exhaled, worn out but steady.
"I didn't have a choice."
Cecil looked at Nolan, then back to Robert.
"You do realize what you've just done?"
Robert nodded solemnly.
"I stopped him. For now."
Later – GDA Recovery Bay
Robert sat on the edge of a medical table, shirt torn, dried blood on his forehead. Cecil stood nearby, arms crossed, scanning a tablet before setting it aside.
"You gonna tell me how you knew?" Cecil asked bluntly.
"How you knew about him and what he was going to do?"
Robert stared at the floor for a moment before answering.
"I've been… seeing things. Visions. Glimpses of what's to come. Like shattered glass—sharp, fragmented. But real enough to act on."
Cecil raised a brow. "Precognition?"
"Sort of. It's not reliable. But this? Stopping my dad? That was one of the clearest visions I've had yet."
Cecil's gaze softened slightly.
"You saved lives, Robert. Maybe the whole planet."
Robert's expression dimmed.
"And maybe… I've lost my dad."
Cecil placed a hand on his shoulder. "He's still alive. We'll keep him that way. And locked up tight."
After a quiet beat, Cecil added, "You need anything?"
Robert's voice was steady but heavy.
"Yeah. I need to see him. And then I have to tell my mom and Marie. They deserve to know."
Cecil nodded.
"I'll make it happen."
The room was quiet—dimly lit and reinforced with Omni-man-grade restraints. Nolan bound on reinforced contraptions, his wrists and ankles bound with glowing energy restraints humming softly. His cape was tattered, and his gaze was distant.
A portal opened nearby, and Cecil stepped through with Robert beside him. The younger hero looked battered but composed. Cecil looked between the two and gave a brief nod.
"I'll give you a moment," he said, before vanishing through the same portal, leaving father and son alone.
Robert stood still at first, the weight of what just happened pressing on him. Then he stepped forward and broke the silence.
"…I'm sorry, Dad."
Nolan looked up, his eyes softening. "No. I should be the one apologizing."
He leaned forward as far as the restraints allowed, the weight of guilt clear in his voice.
"You were right, Robert. About everything. I almost killed my own friends. People who trusted me. I would've brought destruction to this planet… all because I was too blinded by duty."
Robert lowered his head, but kept his tone calm. "You're not the only one who's ever made a mistake."
Nolan studied his son, then asked in a quieter voice, "Did I… hurt you?"
Robert gave a small, tired smile. "It's nothing. I knew I couldn't beat you. But I could still save you."
For a moment, Nolan was silent. Then he gave the faintest smile—one filled with regret.
"You've always been stronger than you know."
He looked away briefly before asking, "Will… will Debbie and Marie be coming?"
Robert nodded. "They deserve to know. Everything. No more secrets."
Nolan closed his eyes, shoulders sinking.
"I don't expect forgiveness," he said.
"But if there's any part of me worth saving… I hope it's the part that loves you, and them."
Robert placed a hand gently on the reinforced glass between them.
"I'm sure they'll still love you despite all of this."
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I am not sure about this chapter but tell me your opinion and if I should redo it or not.
Since I made Robert confront Omni-man early, basing it on how Mark went back in time and stopped Omni-man.